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For I am the Lord your God; sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming creature that moves on the earth. for I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt, to be your God; you shall be holy, for I am holy.
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No...the invisible danger is not our little buddy from the Geico car insurance commercials. Although, geckos are forbidden foods to the Israelites. (Leviticus 11: 30) Chapters 11-15 describe elaborate precautions- what animals to avoid and how to treat "unclean" skin disease, mildewed clothing or walls and bodily emissions. In terms of dietary laws, some scholars point out that many clean and unclean rules have good health habits behind them, such as the rule against eating pork, which carries many parasites. Others say these dietary laws were meant to keep the Israelites apart from their neighbors. Pigs were prominent in Canaanite worship; therefore, the Israelites were not to eat pigs. A different dietary standard would keep the two groups from mixing socially, for a meal was always part of Middle Eastern hospitality. Still others suggest that the uncleanness rules simply fit into what Israelites intuitively thought proper.
All these explanations have merit, but the underlying basis of clean and unclean was religious...you simply could not worship God in the Tent of Meeting (the Tabernacle) while you were unclean, nor bring anything unclean into the presence of God. His holiness would destroy it- and you (Leviticus 15:31) So Leviticus trains God's people how to live out their day to day activities carefully. In short, God's people had to learn how to "purify themselves" for their God.
No...the invisible danger is not our little buddy from the Geico car insurance commercials. Although, geckos are forbidden foods to the Israelites. (Leviticus 11: 30) Chapters 11-15 describe elaborate precautions- what animals to avoid and how to treat "unclean" skin disease, mildewed clothing or walls and bodily emissions. In terms of dietary laws, some scholars point out that many clean and unclean rules have good health habits behind them, such as the rule against eating pork, which carries many parasites. Others say these dietary laws were meant to keep the Israelites apart from their neighbors. Pigs were prominent in Canaanite worship; therefore, the Israelites were not to eat pigs. A different dietary standard would keep the two groups from mixing socially, for a meal was always part of Middle Eastern hospitality. Still others suggest that the uncleanness rules simply fit into what Israelites intuitively thought proper.
All these explanations have merit, but the underlying basis of clean and unclean was religious...you simply could not worship God in the Tent of Meeting (the Tabernacle) while you were unclean, nor bring anything unclean into the presence of God. His holiness would destroy it- and you (Leviticus 15:31) So Leviticus trains God's people how to live out their day to day activities carefully. In short, God's people had to learn how to "purify themselves" for their God.
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Life Question: How do you prepare yourself on Sundays (i.e.- make yourself "holy") for God?
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Growing up Catholic, the ritual was to always bless yourself with the holy water that was stationed by the entrance doors and then certainly we would always genuflect towards the altar and say a short prayer on the kneelers before we seated ourselves in the pews. Lately, I've found myself getting up a little earlier on Sunday and simply looking over the scriptures that will be discussed that day or even the lyrics of the music that we'll be singing and playing. Even the car ride to church- assuming I don't have my loquacious son in the car (ha, ha) can be a time that I can use as quiet meditation and prayer readying myself for Sunday worship.
1 comment:
My preparation for Sunday really happens at many times through the week. I purposely focus on God's characteristics and especially the gift of understanding the plans He has for me and the people He has put in my life. On Sundays I often focus on a line or phrase from something I've been reading in the Word or a lyric from a praise song. As a church musician I like to get out that morning's music and prepare for the coming services. I become excited about what is about to happen as I know people will be blessed by the music and words that encourage them to celebrate what the Lord is working out on our behalf.
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